tools for EMT's and First responder's

Mo2

Mo2

Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
6,630
i have a friend i want to get some tools for who is an EMT.

i searched and search and searched and didnt find anything of high quality that im used to like a ZT etc.

the tool had to have a Oxygen tank key on it.

all i found was the
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Gerber Hinderer Rescue Knife [22-41534]

and


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Gerber Hinderer Combat Life Saver Knife, Serrated Edge [22-01870]

my question is does this Oxygen key work well on these models? and has anyone had these and used them in the field and how do they feel about them and the quality of the tool. how is the steel? okay to sharpen? obviously one is only serrated.

im also going to get him a Leatherman RAPTOR EMT tool, as when i searched around this was highly recommended. does anyone know how well the oxygen tank key on the Raptor works?

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...AND then other than these, what do you guys use in the field or in the ambulance, etc for your EDC's on the job? like for instance does a keychain Prybar come in use at all?

Is there a need for higher quality tools in these fields? Bodog a member here was ranting about wanting a first responder tool from ZT. is there a need for this? or are these tools sufficient?
 
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A friend of mine is currently on track to become a State Trooper and I got him a pair of those Raptor shears. He loves 'em to death and has used them to cut through some crazy stuff already. They are definitely worth the money.
 
The Benchmade Triage would be a great option. Little pricy but if it's going to be used for the intended purpose. I think it's a great option.

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I lost a Benchmade Triage while crawling around a house fire, and snapped the blade on a Gerber. I knew I was gonna snap it, but you gotta do what you gotta do in some situations. Moral of the story, buy the cheapest one that you can find. I carry an Emerson Bulldog in my station pants, but in my turnout gear I carry the Gerber/Hinderer rescue knife cause I know at some point I'll either lose it or break it again.

...that said I'm on a fire truck that runs close to 3500 calls per year, in a very bad area. If your friend is a volunteer, or works in a smaller city or town, he/she is probably a whole lot less likely to lose it.

Edit: I like the sharpened tip. We have sheers to cut clothing off of patients, and they are much fast than using a knife.

I also carry a Park Tool AWS-9, a small hardware store 7" pry bar, and a combination needlenose/wire snips. These see more use than the knife.
 
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mwally said:
I lost a Benchmade Triage while crawling around a house fire, and snapped the blade on a Gerber. I knew I was gonna snap it, but you gotta do what you gotta do in some situations. Moral of the story, buy the cheapest one that you can find. I carry an Emerson Bulldog in my station pants, but in my turnout gear I carry the Gerber/Hinderer rescue knife cause I know at some point I'll either lose it or break it again.

...that said I'm on a fire truck that runs close to 3500 calls per year, in a very bad area. If your friend is a volunteer, or works in a smaller city or town, he/she is probably a whole lot less likely to lose it.

Edit: I like the sharpened tip. We have sheers to cut clothing off of patients, and they are much fast than using a knife.

I also carry a Park Tool AWS-9, a small hardware store 7" pry bar, and a combination needlenose/wire snips. These see more use than the knife.
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I can get by with some pretty basic tools but if you could think of a multitool what functions and features would it have?
 
The only things I really have needed are shears, a glass breaker, and something to cut seatbelts. I like the Leatherman Raptor, but if you have enough call volume it is a PITA to clean between calls. For firefighting I like carrying a multitool, mostly to change batteries on smoke detectors. Usually if I need something else I just go to the correct compartment on the engine and grab it.
 
the only thing i carry is a leatherman sidekick. we carry trauma shears for clothing. i've used my sidekick to repair parts on the ambulance, open o2 tanks, and cut seat belts. it was cheap enough to not worry about losing, and small enough to carry clipped to my pocket without noticing it's there.
 
Jhansenak47 said:
The only things I really have needed are shears, a glass breaker, and something to cut seatbelts. I like the Leatherman Raptor, but if you have enough call volume it is a PITA to clean between calls. For firefighting I like carrying a multitool, mostly to change batteries on smoke detectors. Usually if I need something else I just go to the correct compartment on the engine and grab it.
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I don't have a compartment to store a bunch of stuff in and I don't have an assigned ride to carry all of my own personal stuff. Basically whatever I have on me at the time. That's why I think some kind of dedicated multitool would be great, something that most people could carry but not dedicated for EMTs and the like. I think they could do away with the straight edged blades, files, and some of the screwdrivers. Add a hooked blade for possible seatbelts or clothes, like you said a good glass punch rather than normal breaker, some needle nosed pliers on one end and some kind of crescent wrench on the other, some good torx, hex, and star bits, maybe something in the sheath that could act as a tourniquet, a couple packs of coagulants, and some plastic CPR sheets. Maybe some kind of razor for shaving for defibrillator pads but a razor blade is small enough to tuck into a wallet so that's questionable.
 
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Raptor shears are the only thing I use at work. everything else is too redundant or just clunky
 
Even in the field u can't justify putting a knife anywhere near a pt other than a rescue hook, we have shears and window punch tools on the units for such. Any regular EDC knife would be good.
 
Another vote for the Benchmade Triage. They have the Leatherman Raptor which is a scissor multitool designed for EMT paramedic first responder types.

The Raptor is probably the tool these types would get the most use out of. The Triage has a seatbelt cutter hook so you never have to even open the blade, thus never putting a knife edge near the patient.
 
bodog said:
I don't have a compartment to store a bunch of stuff in and I don't have an assigned ride to carry all of my own personal stuff. Basically whatever I have on me at the time. That's why I think some kind of dedicated multitool would be great, something that most people could carry but not dedicated for EMTs and the like. I think they could do away with the straight edged blades, files, and some of the screwdrivers. Add a hooked blade for possible seatbelts or clothes, like you said a good glass punch rather than normal breaker, some needle nosed pliers on one end and some kind of crescent wrench on the other, some good torx, hex, and star bits, maybe something in the sheath that could act as a tourniquet, a couple packs of coagulants, and some plastic CPR sheets. Maybe some kind of razor for shaving for defibrillator pads.
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I have a leatherman wave with a bit kit. Add the raptor and you are done. If you need a bunch of medical supplies then get a backpack or a small bag. BTW If you need a tourniquet then you should use an actual tourniquet.
 
Jhansenak47 said:
I have a leatherman wave with a bit kit. Add the raptor and you are done. If you need a bunch of medical supplies then get a backpack or a small bag. BTW If you need a tourniquet then you should use an actual tourniquet.
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Yeah, I carry a small trauma kit with ashermann seals and whatnot and shears in it but that's on my bag. I carry that with me most of the time though I don't always have my bag and might not have it if I'm out on foot a mile or more away from my car. Impromptu chases and whatnot. Even a piece of soft, folded canvas that could be knotted and tightened would be better than nothing. I could tie some paracord around the sheath somehow,I guess. That might work in a pinch for a couple hour airlift to a level 1 trauma center. Not ideal but I guess it beats dying.
 
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bodog said:
Yeah, I carry a small trauma kit with ashermann seals and whatnot and shears in it but that's on my bag. I carry that with me most of the time though I don't always have my bag and might not have it if I'm out on foot a mile or more away from my car. Impromptu chases and whatnot. Even a piece of soft, folded canvas that could be knotted and tightened would be better than nothing. I could tie some paracord around the sheath somehow,I guess. That might work in a pinch for a couple hour wait to a level 1 trauma center. Not ideal but I guess it beats dying.
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Impromptu chases?

A belt makes a good improvised tourniquet. We generally avoid tourniquets at my department, they are considered a last resort.
 
Yeah, thick nylon belts with a bunch of gear on them don't work that well. And we're trained for them to be last resorts too but if someone is gushing from an extremity and Halo is an hour or more out and the flight to a trauma center is the same hour or more back, if you have to tie a tourniquet then do it. We aren't experts. Some are, most aren't. Most just have enough trainin to try to stop some bleeding, open airways, use AEDs, and splint broken bones and other basic stuff. Really the majority of training is how to stop your own bleeding, seal your own lung, splint your own bone, shove a tube down your own nose in case your jaw is blown off, etc. because backup is so far away most of the time. It's not usually about helping other people though sometimes situations present themselves where there's no emt or paramedic around for a long time and someone needs to help an innocent civilian out in a remote area. Most of us aren't EMTs, we're qualified as first responders. A few are EMTs at different levels. Some are paramedics but they're not always on duty or able to get where they're needed.

We're just doing our best to stay alive while chasing this:

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In places like this:

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Bodog, looks like your B.P. In which state if you don't mind me asking.
 
rodriguez7 said:
Bodog, looks like your B.P. In which state if you don't mind me asking.
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Send an email, I've tried my best to keep that stuff from being too open. Most people here are pretty skeptical about what we do and how it gets done. Rather not feed those trolls.
 
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